5 Things You Should Know About B1: Characteristics of Life.
- The first thing I would recommend is to know MRS.GREN. Although some of the definitions don’t apply to all situations, I would say that to know MRS.GREN gives you an idea of basic keywords in biology. Words like respiration and nutrition are commonly used and important to know before diving into the unit. I would suggest touching on the definitions of MRS.GREN before beginning the unit.
- The second thing I think you should know about this unit is the basic shape of a plant and animal cell. The way they both look on the inside and what they each are called. For example in an animal cell, you would need to know that there is a nucleus (which controls the activity), ribosomes, cytoplasm (where chemical reactions take place) and a cell membrane (The part that controls what enters and leaves). For a plant cell, the nucleus, vacuole (The part that keeps the cell firm), cell membrane, cytoplasm, cytoplasts (The part that traps the sun’s energy) and a cell wall (The part that gives the wall strength).
- The third thing I would recommend knowing is how to work a microscope and the formula for understanding magnification, drawing size and actual size. To know how to work a microscope is a basic skill needed for most of biology – so it would not only benefit this unit, it would benefit most of the units to come. Knowing how to zoom in and out, the tools needed to look into living things, how to hold it and controlling the different lenses. The formula for understanding magnification, drawing size and actual size is something that will help you look at pictures and get an understanding of how it looks in real life, and how to get to that stage using a microscope.
- The fourth thing I would recommend is understanding osmosis and how it works in different scenarios. The basic definition: The net movement of water molecules from a region of high water concentration to a region of low water concentration through a semipermeable membrane. Before knowing osmosis, it also helps to understand the meaning of a semipermeable wall and how it works to almost filter out different cells depending on the size. Osmosis will be a key term used in this unit, you get to experiment with it and see how it works. The definition is similar to diffusion (another key term) however is more precise based on water.
- The final two terms I would recommend is to understand the meanings of hypertonic, Isotonic and Hypotonic. Although they are a little confusing to see the difference of, it helps to understand how it is dangerous for us to be overhydrated and dehydrated. Hypertonic is when the concentration in the solution is higher than inside the cell. This means there is a net movement going out. Hypotonic is the opposite, the net movement is going in. The definition: Concentration in the solution is lower than inside the cell. The final term is Isotonic: The concentration is the same, in and out. The net movement is equal.
